The Odd Couples
by Cygna-hime
Summary: A series of stories about couples who aren't usually considered. [Story 1, Drinking to Destiny: Coincidences...aren't.[Story 2, Toy Store Romance: Two people have something in common that has nothing to do with magic.]
1. Drinking to Destiny

**Err, right. I regret to inform you that I can't blame this story on anyone else. I came up with it all on my own, and then had to write it in order to exorcise the demons. I'm not sure how long they'll stay away. I'm not even sure if I want them to. This bothers me.**

**Since I'm unused to not doing this, I have a little description:**

**Genre: Romance, maybe?**** Sorta? I'm unsure.**

**Rating: PG-13, for implied sex.**

**Canon: Post-canon improbable-possible, canon8 years.**

**Pairings: There are many of them. I will not list them all; it'd be too long.**

**Warnings: Shounen-ai, shoujo-ai, het, implied sex, alcohol. Also, I am going to a special Hell for some of these pairings. That's okay; they know me there. So yes, you read that pairings list correctly. Not much else, except the idea that not everyone finds true love the first time. Ghasp.**

**Thus, without further ado:**

Drinking to Destiny

            "Oh, hello. Wasn't expecting to run into you here."

            "Good evening. It's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

            "There are no coincidences. Only destiny."

            "Do you really believe that?"

            "Not sure. Maybe I do. Have a drink."

            "Thank you."

            "You _are_ old enough to drink, right?"

            "Of course. Nineteen, last September."

            "Well, well. How time does fly."

            "Indeed." Pause. "Even when one isn't particularly having fun."

            "Or being miserable, either. Just-"

            "-continuing, and not being entirely sure how one feels."

            "Yeah." Pause. "Are we talking about you or me here?"

            "As I'm buying us more drinks, tradition dictates we talk about you."

            "On condition we wait until the drinks get here."

            "All right."

            Sip. "There. Where do I start?"

            "Why don't I tell you what I know, and then see?"

            "Fair enough. Go ahead."

            "You were brought up at the Tsukimine Shrine, which your family runs. You attended a good college for your teaching certificate. While there, you did a bit of student-teaching at the middle school, where you met Touya-san. You went out with him for a year or so-"

            "Wait a minute, how did you know that?"

            "I have my sources."

            "No, seriously."

            "Quite a lot of people know parts of it. I just put the pieces together."

            "You _are_ smart. Carry on."

            "After that year, you went abroad to finish your degree in England and fell in love with Eriol. When everything here was over, you went back to England with him. The two of you parted as friends three years later. Is that correct?"

            "It was closer to two years than three, but more or less. What next?"

            "As far as I know, you've been single since then. That's all I really know."

            "There isn't much more to say. Yes, I was fond of Touya, but it wouldn't have worked out between us." Gulp. "As soon as Tsukishiro-kun showed up, it would have been bam! bye-bye, Kaho. So I decided to leave before he wanted me gone." Pause. "Do you think that was selfish?"

            "Not really. After all, he has Tsukishiro-san and you…had Eriol."

            " 'Had' being the operative phrase. Do you, with your ability to put pieces together, know what happened there?"

            "No, but I think I would like to."

            "Then you have to buy me another drink. I'm not sure I want to talk about this sober." Pause. Swallow. "The thing with Eriol is that he's a great deal older than he looks—or at least he was then. I felt a bit like a child around him. Not that that was the problem; far from it. But then he wanted to have a childhood, and I couldn't be the younger one anymore. God, I really do sound selfish, don't I?"

            "Just in the normal way of things. Go on, do."

            "Well, I started having to be the one in control of the house, and I hated that."

            "But you're a teacher! How is it that you dislike managing things?"

            "Teaching is my job, and I enjoy it. That doesn't mean I want to do it all day."

            "Oh, I see."

            "So, after a while we decided it wasn't about to start working out well, and came back here—separately. Your turn."

            "In that case, it's your turn to buy me a drink."

            "Sure. It's a good night to get drunk."

            Sip. "Eriol and I…we had a good two years, mostly. But we weren't precisely mad about each other. I was fond of him, and needed someone to take care of, and he, I suppose, needed to be taken care of. It was nice to pretend we were in love." Pause. "He was really just a substitute, though, while we're speaking of selfishness."

            "It doesn't really count unless he didn't know, which you can't make me believe."

            "I'm not quite _that_ selfish, and he knew about Sakura-chan and me already. We never even told each other we loved each other, because we both knew otherwise. It was a chance for us to indulge our inner romantics without hurting anyone."

            "I would have said that myself, but back then I thought it was just jealousy talking. So what happened?"

            "We both moved on. He went back to England at the same time Meiling and Li-kun came back from Hong Kong."

            "…I see."

            "Do you? The four of us were together constantly for months, and Sakura-chan and Li-kun were always so _happy_. It got to us both by the end of that year, and as we were, and still are, very close…"

            "So who made the first move? Can I ask that?"

            "Why not? She was sleeping over at my house one night, and she kissed me. That was all that happened, so feel free to stop smirking."

            "Why on earth would I be smirking?"

            "_Anyway_, we were more or less together for a year, up until a year ago, when we came to our senses. I haven't been seeing anyone since."

            "I'd have thought you'd stay together. What went wrong?"

            "We both finally worked out that we weren't looking for childhood friends anymore. We've known each other for so long, what with one thing and another, that dating felt more like going places with a friend. We needed to stop confusing love and friendship, and for that we needed to stop dating old friends. And she's been with Naoko-chan for the last four months, so we were probably right. I think she's over Li-kun for good."

            "But are you?"

            "Over Li-kun?"

            "You know what I mean! Are you over Sakura-san?"

            "That question calls for another drink. I'll buy." Sip. "Really…I think I've been over Sakura-chan for a long time. I only realized it recently, but the only people I've been dating are friends, like she is, and I just don't think that's what I'm looking for anymore. I am very fond of her, and I'll probably love her a little bit all my life, but somewhere in there…it stopped meaning so much. What I really want is a person who can love me as a girlfriend first, and as a friend second." Pause. "I must be drunk. I would never talk so much otherwise."

            "Pity."

            "Hmm?"

            "You've got such a nice voice, y'know. Musical. Pleasure to listen to."

            "Only when I'm singing."

            "You talk like other people sing." Pause. "Did I just say that?"

            "Think so."

            "Yuck. Sorry."

            "No problem."

            "It's true, though."

            "You know what, Mizuki-sensei?"

            "Don't call me that, please. Makes me think we're in school."

            "Fine then…Kaho-san. Anyway, d'you know what I think?

            "No, what?"

            "I think we'd better head home if we want to be able to drive."

            "I walked."

            "Oh. Let's keep drinking, then."

            "Yes, let's."

            Pause. "Kaho-san?"

            "Yes?"

            "You're not an old friend, are you?"

            "Shouldn't think so." Pause. "Tomoyo-san?"

            "Mmm?"

            "You have very pretty hair, y'know."

            "Not as pretty as yours…such a gorgeous color. And your eyes…"

            "What about my eyes?"

            "They're all…golden. Let me look up close."

            "Tomoyo-san?..."

            "…I still didn't get a very good look at your eyes."

            "Shall we try again?"

            "Let's.…You know we're drunk, right?"

            "Possibly. Is that a problem? It's Saturday night, you're a college student; you should be drunk."

            "In that case, I think we should get drunker."

            "Good plan." Pause. "Why're we here again?"

            "I walked in, and you were here, and I was moaning about not dating friends, and now here we are."

            "Such an unlikely coinc'dence."

            "There're no coincidences, Kaho. Only dest'ny. Right?"

            "Right…Tomoyo." Pause. "What color're _your_ eyes?"

            "Not sure. Come over here an' look."

            "…You shut your eyes!"

            "Sorry.…Well?"

            "Bluish-grayish-purplish."

            " 'Kay." Pause. "Don' think I should drive home. Where's your 'partment?"

            "Just 'round the corner."

            "Great. I'll get some'un to pick up the car."

            "Wait a minute…d'you know what you're saying?"

            " 'Course I do."

            "…"

            "Look, 's def'nitely preferable to killing myself, which is what'll happen if I try to drive. Besides, 'm a college student and it's Saturday night."

            "…I think 'm still not drunk enough."

            "Nor 'm I, yet. You're buying."

            "You're the rich one, you buy!"

            "Nuh-uh. Y're older. 'S your job to seduce me."

            "You just invited y'rself to my apartment. Who's seducing whom?"

            "Point." Pause. Swallow.

            "So, you 'n' Li-san…did you…?"

            "Just 'cause one sleepover was inn'cent doesn't mean th' rest were."

            "…Ah."

            "Come t' think of it, what was b'tween you an' Maki-san anyway?"

            "…How'd you know 'bout that?"

            " 'S a secret. Answer the question."

            "Nothin' much. We were both lonely, and…you're not th' only one to decide 'gainst dating friends. Why d'you ask?"

            "Wondered.…Who taught you t' kiss like that?"

            "Touya."

            "No way."

            "True."

            "Tsukishiro-san is _lucky_."

            "Mm-hmm."

            "But I'm luckier."

            "Oh?"

            " 'Cause you're about t' buy me one last drink an' take me home."

            "Am I?"

            "Uh-huh."

            "To destiny?"

            "To destiny!" Gulp.

            "Think 'm drunk enough now."

            "Good. So'm I. Let's go."

            "…Tomoyo?"

            "Mm?"

            "I think I may be 'n love with you."

            " 'S that a problem?"

            "Could be."

            "Well, 's not, 'cause I think 'm in love with you, too."

            "Good. So, next time we go to your house?"

            "Works f'r me. D'you think we'll need drinks next time?"

            "Doubt it."

            "Me too. Let's go."

Exeunt.

**Ummm…don't kill me? Please? Thank you?**

**The scary thing, I mean the _really_ scary thing, is that I think this wants to be continued. Help.**

**In case you missed it, this was Tomoyo/Kaho, with past Eriol/Tomoyo, Tomoyo/Meiling, Touya/Kaho, Eriol/Kaho, and Kaho/Maki, as well as mentioned Syaoran/Sakura, Meiling/Naoko, MeilingSyaoran, TomoyoSakura, and Touya/Yukito. I am a very disturbed person.**

**Only I can write five pages of this, and not two of anything else. Only ****I.**** Hopefully.******

**If you don't know who Maki-san is, go watch anime episode five, 'Sakura, Panda, and a Cute Shop'. Yay for random pairings! (I owe that one, obliquely, to Peacewish)**

**So, votes on the continuing?**** More importantly, how horribly out of character was I? And do you want to kill me now?**


	2. Toy Store Romance

**Ahem. I would like to say right now that this is all Peacewish's fault. She invented the pairing that made me invent this pairing. So it's all her fault. Nyah.**

**I'm fitting this in on a technicality into a Tsukimine challenge, as follows:**

**Topic: Silence**

**Genre: Romance/CRACKTASTIC**

**Canon: You so can't prove it isn't post-anime. I mean, it isn't, but you can't prove it.**

**Words: 500-1000. According to Word, I overreached by 14 words. Big whoop.**

**Stipulation: No external dialogue. With which I am fine. Indirect dialogue is pwnzored by me. Except in Latin, about which I refuse to speak.**

**Anyway. Fic. I'm not telling you the pairing in advance—the fact that you made it this far indicates that you don't much care. Other warnings: Shoujo-ai, blah blah. Het, omgevil!eleven! Absolutely nothing worse than canon. I think. Beats me.**

Toy Store Romance

Sonomi didn't usually visit toy stores, especially not to buy anything. Half the toys in such shops belonged to her company; if she wanted, she could have one with hardly a thought. But that week, only days before Tomoyo's thirteenth birthday, Sonomi decided some special gift was in order. She new Tomoyo has often visited Twin Bells, the small toy shop in the middle of town, so she stopped by to see if anything there would make a nice gift.

The young woman behind the counter surprised her. She had expected to be recognized, since everyone in Tomoeda knew each other by sight, but Sonomi had not thought that the owner herself would be at work in the shop. The times when she herself had been the sole employee of her own business were, by that time, far in the past, and Sonomi found herself capable of being surprised by what she had once been. Matsumoto Maki, the shop owner, was pleasant and helpful, so that Sonomi quickly realized why she would choose to work in her store as well as manage it. She bought some decorated notebooks for Tomoyo at Maki's suggestion, and left the store smiling. She was halfway home when she realized that she would like a reason to go back.

Two weeks later, Sonomi walked into Twin Bells again, just before the lunch hour. Maki was there, as always, handling the last of the customers. She looked surprised to see Sonomi there, though she hid it well. Sonomi returned her greeting and said that no, nothing was wrong, she just happened to be in town, and she wondered if Matsumoto-san would like to come out to lunch with her? Maki smiled—she had dimples at the corners of her mouth—and agreed.

They talked about business, mostly, exchanging industry gossip about which chains looked like reaching international level soon and which executives were overreaching themselves. Sonomi discovered that she was enjoying herself more than she had in years, ever since—she hadn't had anyone to talk to. Maki was a wonderful conversation partner, neither cowed nor condescending, and Sonomi rediscovered with a start how much she had missed talking to someone like that. Something of the sensation, laughter in the cool autumn air, made it easy for her to suggest that they might have lunch like this every week. Perhaps the same something made Maki agree.

After that, they saw a lot of each other. They met for lunch every week, when they talked about anything and everything. They talked about flowers (Maki's favorites were violets), books (Sonomi had read some of the most recent novels, and a few of them were really worth the time; she would bring one or two next week), animals (Maki used to want a cat, but with all the stuffed animals, she felt like she lived in a zoo as it was); whatever came to mind. Maki asked after Tomoyo on weeks the girl hadn't visited Twin Bells. Sonomi asked how Maki's parents were doing. They talked, sooner or later, about love. They talked about Maki's fiancé, who had dreamed so fervently of selling the toys he had designed, and about Sonomi's husband, with whom she had started the company that had grown so quickly. Sonomi found herself talking about Nadeshiko, telling Maki's sympathetic ear things she had never spoken aloud before, about the cousin-friend who never wanted to be anything more, about the man too perfect to hate in comfort, about the daughter Sonomi doted on, who took after Nadeshiko, and the son she did not, who did not (Maki knew Sakura, of course, and had met her family at town events and such). She told Maki everything, without even noticing how much of what she was saying had always been a secret before. Maki listened, smiled, sympathized, and replied gently that Nadeshiko must have been a wonderful person to have known. Sonomi noticed only then that Nadeshiko, and how much Sonomi had cared for her, had at some time been placed as fixedly in the past tense as her husband had been for years.

That was in the middle of October. Sonomi asked Maki out to dinner on November First.

All that month, as the days grew shorter and the wind colder, Sonomi and Maki could be observed in alternating periods of daydreaming and nervous anticipation. Customers at Twin Bells often had to ask twice to get any response. Sakura wondered aloud what was going on. Tomoyo only smiled. They were both in the shop one Friday afternoon when Sonomi drove up, holding a bouquet of (admittedly artificial) violets in one hand and a second motorcycle helmet in the other. After Maki had hastily closed up the store and the pair had driven away, Maki clinging tightly to Sonomi's waist and not looking at all sure of herself, Sakura stared perplexedly for a minute before asking Tomoyo what was going on. She told her.

A surprising number of people were having sleepovers that month. Everyone liked Maki, and Tomoyo was quite perspicacious when it came to guessing when she ought not to be around. It wasn't that her house wasn't big enough, she explained in whispers and giggles, quite the contrary, but it was the principle of the thing. Her mother would prefer if she wasn't there, she was sure. So Tomoyo spent half of November, it seemed, at other people's houses.

Early in December, Sonomi went through a fit of redecorating frenzy that fortunately resulted in little actual change, as various business issues cropped up requiring nearly all her attention. Maki took Tomoyo to visit museums, and they decided they got along very well. Once Sonomi's business affairs were temporarily taken care of, she had a long, serious talk with her daughter, which had the principal result of making Sonomi work frantically to keep her calendar clear for the Christmas holidays, and Tomoyo smile even more than usual as she went with her friends on several emergency shopping trips.

On Christmas Day, Sonomi asked Maki to move in to the mansion.

_End._

**I told you I was on crack. I don't know how my brain comes up with these things.**

**No, not all of my crack-tastic pairings will be shoujo-ai. It's just easier, because most of the guys have already been mixed and matched in either canon or fanon until it's hard to find anything vaguely new. But I will think of something!**

**Did the indirect speech work here, or was it a bit stilted? Also, did you think Sonomi sounded right? She was the hardest part to get into my head.**

**This pairing works disturbingly well.**

**Fare thee well! Yours in canon and crack, Cygna.**


End file.
